Marty Devine's MAD WORLD

The place to find the mindless doodles of Marty Devine,
maybe even some mindless rambling.
Gird your loins and jump in.

What's all this, then?

Since I'm not 100% sure what I'm going to do with this blog right now, I've decided to post some of the strange doodles and drawings I've kept in boxes, folders, and cabinets these past 30 years. A lot of these things were done while on the phone, or while testing pens, or out of sheer boredom. There won't be any rhyme or reason to these drawings. I'm just grabbing stuff from off the piles, scanning it, and adding it here. Think of it as a game of cartoon Russian roulette. The neat thing about the drawings is that each one has it's own history and background story. There will be plenty of bonus posts and topical additions as the mood strikes. Forewarned is forearmed.

All artwork copyrighted 2007/2008/2009/2010 Martin A. Devine.Please do not link to or use images or content without permission from the so-called "artist". (So there.)

Monday, March 29, 2010

Okay, I was going to participate in the CGS Super Show sketch card exchange. I even whipped-up six cards based on songs and artists I heard on my iPod. I attempted to draw all the folks from memory without using reference, with obvious results. Unfortunately, I forgot all about the exchange while I was at the show. My soft-minded oversight is your reward.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Remember the old Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom? Well I do! The thought of Jim giving a wild gorilla a rusty trombone made me laugh. This is the first thing I've been able to draw in WEEKS. Hopefully I'm getting my touch back.(Sharpee on scrap paper.)

Monday, July 20, 2009

I fondly remember those heady halcyon days of manned space flight. I spent hours in front of the TV watching and recording on cassette tape each and every manned flight. I was hooked on space and gobbled-up anything relating to rockets and space flight. I had inherited a deep love of science from my parents and an equally deep love for science fiction from my aunt. Being artistically inclined since I was young, I constantly drew rockets and spacemen and eventually bought comic books and magazines related to space. All those passions remain strong to this day.

With full knowledge that today would be 40th anniversary of the first manned landing on the moon, I read four different spaceflight related graphic novels on my recent vacation. Here's a brief look at each.

LAIKA written and Illustrated by Rich Abadzis

Laika is a well-written and beautifully illustrated story about the first living creature launched into space, a small dog named Laika. The story blends a factual story with a fair amount of emotional fiction. We follow the dog Laika from the streets of Russia to her capture and training as a cosmonaut. To move the story along, we also follow the intersecting lives of Korolev the Chief Designer and Yelena, the Lab Tech in charge of Laika. Like Old Yeller, it's a sweet yet eventually sad story about a dog.

FIRST IN SPACE written and illustrated by James Vining

First in Space is the enjoyable story of Ham, the first American chimp in space. The story is written and solidly illustrated by James Vining, and this is his very first published work. The story, like that of Laika, is based on actual events and characters with a dash of fiction for emotion. We follow Ham through training through his eventual historic space flight and to his final sad days in the National Zoo. It's obvious the story was written and illustrated with a younger audience in mind, but it's still an enjoyable read for older folks too.

ASTRONAUT DAD written by David Hopkins and Illustrated by Brent Schoonover

Astronaut Dad is the first volume of a two volume story. Deftly written by David Hopkins with great comic artwork by Brent Schoonover, the story is a tense, emotional and sometimes dark soap opera. It follows the lives of three NASA families at the height of the space race in the 60s. Think of it as a combination of The Right Stuff and The Wonder Years. It's a thoroughly enjoyable coming-of-age story (in more ways than one) and I'm looking forward to the second volume.

T-MINUS: THE RACE TO THE MOON written by Jim Ottaviani and illustrated by Zander and Kevin Cannon

The final book I read was perhaps my favorite of the four. T-Minus is a compelling work of historical fiction about the Soviet and American space programs. Jim Ottaviani, a former nuclear engineer, writes an interesting fact-filled story about the space race from the days of science fiction (Verne, Wells, Tsiolkovsky) to the age of science fact (Goddard, Von Braun, Korolev). The story is seen through the eyes of Sergei Korolev, the Soviet Chief Designer and though C.C. and Max, two of NASA's engineers. The retro artwork by the brothers Cannon is solid and fits the time frame of the story perfectly. T-Minus is loaded with facts and details that even the most ardent space fan may not have known. An interesting device used in the design in the book was adding launch attempts in the outer margins, complete with mission details and illustrations. A very nice touch. I'd recommend this book to anyone with the slightest interest in spaceflight and 60s history.

All in all, all four books were thoroughly enjoyable reads that helped bring back some of the thrill and excitement of the golden age of space travel.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Yeah, I know. I haven't been posting here to the blog. It's my own damn fault. Hopefully this bit of goofiness will smooth things over. While on the phone discussing Captain America #600, I started doodling at my desk with the tools at hand. Here's the result (at least it made me chuckle.)

Thursday, April 30, 2009

When one door closes, a trap door opens! After the untimely demise of Comics Now! magazine, I was offered the chance to become the official artist for the Freking Sweer comic strip over at Comic Geek Speak. I already was the unofficial artist on the strip, but now it's my baby. Check it out, I'll have an update at least once a week. You can find the strip HERE

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Sad News. Comics Now! Magazine is officially no more. It was a fun ride. Hopefully the fourth issue will surface somehow, I have my toes crossed. I have some other stuff in the works, so keep an eye out on this space for more details. Thanks to Bryan Deemer for the opportunity and to the guys at Ape Entertainment and the entire staff of the magazine. Lastly a big thanks to you for stopping by and giving our little dog and pony show a try! See ya in the pixelated funny pages!----------------Now playing: Webcomics Weekly #57 - Live at NEWWvia FoxyTunes

Sunday, March 01, 2009

Hey kids! Uncle Marty managed to grab an old surplus light table from the place where I work. The company has gone totally digital, so we no longer need an offset stripping department. When the Facilities department made these babies available, I jumped on it. This thing is GINORMOUS and is 100% steel and glass. Now all I have to do is find a spot for it. Oy!

The Podcast Arena is BUSY. Pants, Bryan and Peter at the booth. Danielle is busy doing a sketch.

Wood, the ever lovely Pat Loika, Vince and Mike. Shocking!

Danielle Corsetto chatting with a fan. I'm very good at capturing people with their eyes closed.

Vince, Julian Lytle and Tom Katers winding down at Stitches on Saturday night.

Tiki and Wood corner Mike Norton at Stitches. Oh yeah, one of the 2000 Jokers at the Con was there too. Didn't see a single Rorschachat the bars. Hrmmm.

Julian, Tiki, Mike Norton and Vince at Stitches. Yes, that is a mirrored disco ball on the ceiling.

Sunday morning and we're checking out. I thought it would be a nice bookend for this group of photos to end it the same way it started...with someone saying "Hello". In addition to being very good at capturing people with their eyes closed, I'm also very good at taking photos of people flipping me the bird. Thank you Mike.

Sunday, February 08, 2009

I have returned. It was a long weekend, interrupted by moments of joy and glee, but still LONG. I'm getting too old for this stuff . . . OY! My feet ache, my legs ache, my head aches, but all in all I had a swell time. When I get out of the ICU, I'll post some comments and photos from the con. Stay tuned.

Friday, February 06, 2009

In celebration of the Comic Geek Speak Super Show in 2008, CGS forumite Harold Jennett put together a comic book to mark the occasion. More than a dozen members of the CGS forum lent their artistic, writing and editing skills to tell the strange tale of the CGC podcast mascot, the Puppet Rios. Here's a sample from my pages.

If you're interested in seeing more, you can order your very own copy of Comic Geek Speak The End at IndyPlanet. It's fun with a capital F!

Thursday, February 05, 2009

Angry Gnome Comics publishes a horror anthology called SHORT STACK. It's a series of two page horror stories. Shawn Shawn Gabborin, the chief cook and bottle washer over at Angry Gnome offered me a script to illustrate called Twins. He didn't have to ask twice. Here's a couple panels from the issue.

The big guy is a self-portrait, the little fella is based on my buddy Vince B.If you're interested, you can order the issues from Angry Gnome or from IndyPlanet.Each issue is a bloody good time!

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Every year I make a batch of custom Christmas/Holiday cards for my coworkers.Since I work with an editorial staff, I used that fact as the theme.

The outside

The inside

I make the original drawings, scan 'em and lay 'em out in CorelDRAW.I print them out on a laser printer and then hand color each.If you want a PDF of the card, click the link below.http://www.sendspace.com/file/vv6okiI'll post my annual card for the Geeks over at CGS a bit closer to Christmas.Stay tuned!(Pen and ink on smooth Bristol, scanned in Photoshop, edited in CorelDRAW, printed on buff card stock and hand-colored with markers)----------------Now playing: Comic Geek Speak_Episode 559 - Top 5 Christmas Comics.mp3via FoxyTunes

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

My wife asked me to do a couple Batman drawings for the seven year old son of a guy she works with. He already had a Batman theme for his bedroom, and he liked the Animated Batman more than the darker movie Batman. I decided to do the illustrations as paintings. I haven't set a brush to canvas in ages, so it did take some time to shake off the rust. Luckily, I found canvases on sale at the local art supply store. I stayed close to the Bruce Timm style Batman.

First, a close-up of the Batman. I'm very happy with this one.

Next, Batman fixing to throw a Batarang. There's some wonky stuff going on there, but the kid loves it.

They're not masterpieces, but they're not bad for being out of practice since the 80s.

Monday, March 31, 2008

Here's a scan of my long-delayed "Secret Santa" sketch for Damian Smith, Lord Shaper on the CGS forum. Shaper requested a sketch of Grendel, I decided to spice it up with the addition of Mage; another Matt Wagner character. I did a few rough sketches in anticipation of doing a cleaner final. I actually liked the roughs better, so I went in that direction. I hope it was worth the wait. Damien co-hosts a podcast called KRYPTOGRAPHIK. Check it out HERE.(Brushpens, Micron pens and Sharpee on smooth Bristol board.)----------------Listening to: The Motels - Suddenly Last Summervia FoxyTunes

Saturday, March 29, 2008

A thank you sketch for Chris Murrin for all the hard work he did editing the CGStories comic. Chris works on Fox Sport's Best Damn Spots Show Period and collects sketches of Mr. Mxyzptlk. After seeing the slam dunk contest at the NBA All Star game this year, I thought this would make a perfect sketch.(Brushpens and Micron Pens on smooth Bristol board.)

Monday, March 17, 2008

In addition, the blessings of St. Jack, St. Will, St. Wally, and the inky litany be on ye.

May your pull list always be full.May your life be long and your long boxes even longer.May you wake every morn to new comics smell.May your "to read pile" always be one comic too many.May your future be the best Con imaginable, with your name atop every sign-up sheet on artist's alley.May ye be in heaven a full hour before the devil knows you've been bagged and boarded.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Since my days as a young lad, I've had this compulsion to cover my bulletin board with things I find interesting. I did it in my room at my family homestead and I've continued the practice at every place I've worked ever since. There's found stuff, used stuff, important stuff, goofy stuff, lots 'n' lotsa stuff. I get this Zen thing going and I add, remove, and move stuff to match my mood. It's a constant work-in-progress. Here's my current bulletin board.

If you're the slightest bit interested, here's a list of the stuff on the board:

a bamboo back scratcher (used quite often)

a faux dealer's name tag for a fictional Indian Casino (Hello, I'm Marty Thundercloud)

a Xerox enlargement of a Drew Friedman cartoon of Tor Johnson from an old punk magazine

a photo of me in my Central High School marching band uniform (with drum!) from 1979

Sunday, February 24, 2008

I was asked to do a card for my nephew Billy's birthday this week. I was given free reign to do anything I wanted. Thanks to recent events, I got my gag.(Pentell and Micron pens and brushpens on bristol and colored with markers.)----------------Listening to: Iggy Pop & The Stooges - No Funvia FoxyTunes

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

As a huge fan of funny books, especially funny books featuring Captain America, I have a small collection of Cap figures on my desk at work. Just before Christmas 2007, I found a neat little plush Captain America at the local Target store. The little guy has been sitting right beside me ever since. I was glancing at him during lunch today when something disturbing caught my eye.

Friday, February 08, 2008

The guys over at Comic Geek Speak held a competition recently to design a shirt they can wear to comic conventions around the country for 2008. There were many good entries. I decided to go off in an odd direction when I was yelling the word "con" at home. It immediately reminded me of Captain Kirk in The Wrath of Khan movie. My design was born.

Some understandable legal concerns removed the design from the competition, but I still like it.

(Photo adjusted in Photoshop, converted to vector and imported into CorelDRAW for text and layout.)----------------Now playing: 40Kradio_episode02via FoxyTunes

Thursday, February 07, 2008

This was the design that replaced the first two entries. It was aimed at the general school population. I removed the instrument and music cleft and substituted a 'hang-loose" sign and a RHS tattoo. The shirt was printed in dark navy ink on red t-shirts, the school colors for the Riverside Vikings in Taylor, PA.(Micron pen and brushpen on drawing paper, scanned in Photoshop and imported into CorelDRAW for text and layout.)---------------- Now playing: Web Comics Weekly - EPISODE24 - Working Spacevia FoxyTunes

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

My niece Sara asked me do do a design for a T-shirt that her high school marching band could sell to raise some money. She wanted to push the point that band is cool. As a former band geek myself, I accepted the task. The mascot for Riverside High School is a viking, so I did the design based on that.

I also did a female viking to keep my options open.

The officials at the high school liked the idea. They liked it so much they decided to delete the band element and do a shirt that could be sold to benefit the entire school.

Who is this guy?

Wanna MAD Commission?

That's right, I do original commission sketches! I usually work in a humorous cartoon style, but I can adapt to any style you prefer. If you want an original commission piece, contact me by sending an inquiry to the email below for pricing and other details. Be the very first person on your block with an original Marty hanging on your wall!
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